Hermetically-sealed casket



0. H. ELIEL.

,- HERMETICALLY SEALED GASKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAH.19,1920.

1,369,919', y Patented Mar.1,1`921.

1 ME E 0 me ff. l/54.

OSCAR H. ELIEL, OF LA SALLE, ILLINOIS.

HERMETICALLY-SEALED GASKET.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

Application led March v19, 1920. Serial No. 367,181.

' To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OSCAR H. ELIEL, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city ofLa Salle, in the county of La Salle and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHermetically-Sealed Gaskets; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a hermetically sealed burial casket of a typewherein the sealing material comprises a fusible metal.

Since the body must necessarily be placed in the casket before thesealing is effected, it is extremely desirable that an efficient andrapid method of sealing be provided. If it is desirable 4to re-open ahermetically sealed casket in order to re-view the body or remove ittherefrom it is necessary that some means be rovided for fusing thesealing material wlliereby the cover may be removed from the casketWithout defacing the same.

It is also desirable that the fusible material, used in sealing thecasket, so engage the cover thereof that it acts to lock said coversecurely in position on the casket.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method for hermeticallysealing a casket or other container with fusible ma-p.

terial such as fusiblemetal or solder.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for^hermetically sealing a casket with electrically fused metal.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hermetically sealedcasket having the cover thereof securely locked in position by thesealing material.

It is an important object of this invention to provide a casket adaptedto be hermetically sealed by electrically fused material and havingmeans `associated therewith whereby the sealing material may again beelectrically fused after sealing.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) 1s illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter more fully described.

in Fig. 3.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a horizontal section taken through the cover of ahermetically sealed casket embodying the principles of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section showing the method of sealin thecover of the casket to the rim thereo provided by this invention. Fig. 4isa section on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section showing a modified method ofsealing the casket cover to the rim thereof.

As shown on the drawings:

The method of this invention is adapted to be used on a casket 1, whichis provlded with a ycover 2. lThe vertical Walls of the casket l arebent downwardly at their upper edge and again upwardly to form a channel3 around the rim of said casket. Downwardly extending flanges 4: areprovided on ment which may be composed of a strand l of high-resistanceWire 9 is inserted inside the insulating tube 7 and the ends of saidheating element 9 extend outwardly from the downwardly bent portions ofsaid tube 7 The operation is as follows:

The cover is placed on the casket and fusible tube 7 placed in positionin the channel 3 as heretofore described. A source of electrical energysuch as an electrical machine or storage battery is connected to theterminals of the heating element 9 and the circuit is closed. Thiscauses the heating element 9 to become incandescent, and the fusiblematerial of the tube 7 is melted and fills the channel 3, as shown indotted lines This fusedA material flows between the projections 5 andthus securely seals the `projection 4 in the channe1'3,`

Since the insulating tube 7 is composed of non-inammable insulatingmaterial, said tube 7 and the heating element 9 remain embedded in thefused material. After the casket is thoroughly sealed by complete fusionof the tube 7, the electric circuit is opened and the source ofelectrical energy disconnected. If at any subsequent time it it desiredto open the casket the same can be easily effected without defacing thecas ket. This is accomplished by again connecting a source of electricalenergy to the terminals of the heating element 9 and refusing thematerial from the tube 7. When said material is fused and soft the cover2 may be easily lifted from the casket without damaging the same and thesealing material removed from the channel 8. When it is desired to sealthe casket again new fusible material may be readily added or a new tube7 supplied if necessary. As shown in Fig. 6, the casket may behermetically sealed without the aid of electric means by simply pouringfusible material into the channel 3. Said sealing material readily Howsbetween the projections 5 on the flanges 4 and thus completely sealsboth sides of said ange 4 in the channel 3. While the method andconstruction shown applies particularly to a burial casket, it is notnecessarily limited to the same, but the method may be readily andeffectively used in hermetically sealing any form of vessel and providesa desirable means for readily unsealing the same when desired. Y A

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through awide range without departing from the principles of this invention, andI thereforel do not propose limiting the patent granted otherwise thannecessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a casket and the cover therefor, of means forhermetically sealing the cover on the casket, and electric heating meansembedded in said sealing means.

2. The combination with a casket having a channeled rim7 of a cover forsaid casket, downwardly extendingr flanges on the cover engaged in saidchanneled rim, fusible material in the channeled rim for hermeticallysealing the covers thereto, and electrical means for fusing said fusiblematerial.

8. The combination with a container having a channeled rim, of a covertherefor engaged in the channel in said rim, fusible material in thechannel and surrounding said cover, and an electrical heating element inthe fusible material whereby said fusible material may be melted and thecover hermetically sealed on the container.

4. rIhe combination with a container having a flanged rim, of a channelformed in said rim, a cover for the container engaged in thechannel,fusible material in the channel adjacent the cover, an insulatedelectric heating element in the fusible material whereby said fusiblematerial may be melted to seal the casket and remelted when it isdesired to unseal the casket.

5. The combination with a container having a channeled rim, of adownwardly flanged passaged cover engaged in the channel inssaid rim,and a fusible metallic substance in the channel and engaged throughthe'passage for sealing the cover in said channel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

OSCAR H. ELIEL.

Witnesses LAWRENCE REIBSTEIN, CARLTON HILL.

